Help me get crisp Hi-def photos with my new dslr

[bimmerm3]

So first let me say I'm new here and some what new to DSLR. About two years ago a purchased a sony Alpha thinking I was going to get into photography but lost interest due to time or whatever else. Well this semester I took a photography class as school (using 35mm slr, black and white photos). Basically sparked my interest again and I went out and picked up a Nikon d3000. I know perfectly well that in the right hands this camera can take some pretty awesome photos but not in mine lol. I do know a little bit about photography i.e. aperture, shutter speed, depth of field etc. Anyway I have a passion for automobiles and this is the kind of photography I want to get into. I washed and waxed my bimmer and met up with a buddy to do a imprompto photo shoot and I feel like all the images turned out like CRAP. I know I need a polarization filter but just dont have any extra money to spend on lenses or anything accessories right now, so I'm looking for some advice on how to improve my images. Here s a few to critique. Also I shot all these in RAW and most in either program or manual mode. I shoot in continuous and picked out the best of the three to post lol. I do also know a bit about photoshop and was able to edit these and get something that was "ok" but its just not the quality Im after. These ones I'm posting are unedited.

Then notice how sharp and scrip the Lamborghini is, almost like you could touch the paint, mine seem so flat and boring in comparison

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera @ Genève - a photo on Flickriver

thanks in advance guys

 

[SCraig]

You need to learn to use the light and to learn composition. The first two are parked in the shade and metered for the highlights, and as such are both underexposed. The first and third have distracting backgrounds that compete for attention with the subject. The third isn't completely in focus because of depth of field.

It takes time. Odds are the Lambo photographer isn't in his first semester, so keep learning and it will come

 

[bimmerm3]

Thanks for the advice. I don't expect to become good overnight that's for certain. I'm used to focusing my lenses manually as well and it seems like all the shots are a bit out of focus when using auto, like I can never quite get just the car in-focus so its sharp. If you zoom in on them they are so blurry or there is a lot of noise present.

 

[SCraig]

If autofocus doesn't agree with manual focus check the diopter adjustment on your viewfinder first. Some lenses do have front- or back-focus issues where the point of sharpest focus is one side or the other of the focus point, but it's pretty rare. Also make sure you are shooting at a fast enough shutter speed for the lens focal length you're using. Longer focal lengths need a faster shutter speed when hand-held. And finally watch your depth of field. There is no EXIF data in the photos so I can't tell what aperture you were using however if you had it wide open then your depth of field was very narrow, narrow enough not to get the rear of car in the last shot in focus.

Noise is related to ISO. If you are shooting at high ISO then you can expect noise.

 

[gconnoyer]

What lens are you using?

And like SCraig said, post up the EXIF data.
Hard to diagnose without really knowing.

 

[cornetlord]

I don't know what settings you were using but here are my tips.

1. Shoot as low of an ISO as you can to reduce noise.
2. Make sure you don't use such a shallow depth of field when shooting something like this.
3. Tripod....if you want a super sharp image you will need to use a tripod or not be holding the camera...the most minor shake will ruin the sharpness.

 

[iPhoto17]

also shoot a tad bit over exposed, reducing brightness in post processing will also reduce noise, adding brightness in post processing will add to noise

 

[Wozza]

Could you have chosen harder cars to photograph lol? Dark cars are tricky, especially with the stealth look going on in the BMW.

I think your main problem is positioning. Try to keep distractions in the background to a minimum. The car should be the star iof the picture unless you have a great piece of scenary you want to incorporate. The trees are a much better background than the shed in the first one so the cars should have been further to the right. You don't need a CPL filter to get great car shots, you just need to make sure that you have the light on the right side of the car and aren't shooting into harsh reflections and expose accordingly. The light you have these cars under is dappled, move the cars out into the sun or all the way into some shade.

My next piece of advice is to get closer, there is way too much empty space in these shots. Do not be afraid of a close crop, or getting portrait instead of landscape shots.

Also try differing angles and also panning shots, shots of the cars being driven ect and see if you can mix it up a bit. But first my best piece of advice would be find a great location and shoot morning or late afternoon, try and avoid noon as the light can be very flat. Then get close - fill the frame!

Also I wouldn't worry about a tripod personally (each to their own) for car shots - I find they can get in the way and limit your creativity. Just make sure you shoot at a decent speed and keep the camera steady. Tripods are however essential in tricky or low light conditions.

Automotive photography is a lot of fun so keep with it, my first car shots were much worse than these.

edit - Oh and then play with your curves in editing. I normally create a duplicate layer of my shot and then increase the contrast (s-bend in curves) more than I normally would and then make that layer transparent until it starts to look natural again. I'm not claiming to be the worlds expert - but this is what I have found through trail and error and hopefully this will shortcut you a little.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

The bottom of this blog may help you: Car Studio Photography Set-ups - Core77

 

[emayd]

You should take a look on HDR image technique - High dynamic range imaging - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gconnoyer]

Like Cornetlord said, shot as low of an ISO as possible.

Also, shooting cars is ideal on cloudy/overcast days. Obviously when you have an opportunity you can't always set the weather up perfectly.

Here's a friends G8 that I shot...it was supposed to be a cloudy day, but everything burned off so we shot anyway. I did what I could with the pictures when I got home.

F/2.8
ISO 100
1/4000th
48mm


F/2.8
ISO 100
1/2500
44m